The ULTIMATE Handheld Gaming Review - Are They REALLY That Good?!

[@maparr848]

I just got the Steam Deck OLED and I love it so much. It feels nice in my hand, looks sharp, and is quiet as can be! I love this thing, and being a person who has a huge steam library, it is awesome.

[@VinylMorpheus]

Steam Deck is the goat. It’s like wizardry I would have imagined as a kid. Also just incredible for emulation.

[@thingsiplay]

Also it have the two touchpads, which is necessary for handheld PCs to me. And they are programmable to create custom menus or other stuff, which I really like to use on RetroArch. And all for that price. As you say, it's the real goat here.

[@spiffygonzales5160]

Personally I haven't had a handheld since the Gameboy advance, but if I were to go back it would be the steam deck. Praise Gaben :{D

[@jimmyjay689]

Not portable

[@debomb721]

@@jimmyjay689I’m on a trip rn and ive been playing it everywhere idk Whatcha mean

[@pappysheart6710]

is it easy to install an nes emulator on steam deck? didn't know it was possible

[@BrettMedlock]

Between my Switch OLED, G Cloud, and now ROG Ally, I’m LOVING handheld gaming again. So many options, so many GREAT options ❤

[@AstarionWifey]

Dang how do you have time for all?

[@RemixedYoshi]

no steam deck?

[@graybabyoracle]

I have no real need for a Steam Deck OLED, but I still want one.

[@auroraparadox5235]

Same here. It looks awesome but I don't need one.

[@ezrider1968]

For me, the only problem with the G Cloud is the retail price. It does cloud streaming for game pass, it does remote play for Xbox and PlayStation, and the part Logitech can’t really advertise is it’s a pretty great emulator. $350 is a steep price, but I found a like-new one on eBay for under $200 and love it.

[@TheLuis12198]

First time using a handheld PC with the Steam Deck OLED and it’s been amazing playing HiFi Rush on it, and surprised to get decent battery life on it. Slowly been getting into the PC ecosystem thanks to it. Definitely gonna take advantage of the winter Steam Sale to increase my Steam Library.

[@HardDrumStep]

PC is far from "eco" system my dude lmao

[@thetechnosaiyan]

​@@HardDrumStepsteam is.

[@mysticalquilava]

@@HardDrumStepyeah I know but they mean getting more games and stuff to do on it so they will be using it more. Its the wrong phrase but you know what they mean

[@KillahMate]

@@HardDrumStep 'Ecosystem' is a word, and 'the PC ecosystem' is a thing, just like it is with almost any computing platform. You can look up what it means.

[@shawnjackson5623]

Thank you for making this video. For someone that doesn’t know anything about gaming handhelds it provides unbiased reviews. I’m leaning towards the Logitech G Cloud. I wanted to get the PlayStation portal but you obviously can’t play Xbox games with that system. Plus like you mentioned needing PlayStation’s proprietary headphones. I get why they make you but it’s another cost to add.

[@RyanSaotome]

Should be mentioned about the G Cloud is that it actually lets you run Android and has a semi good processor. I bought mine for 250 bucks last year simply as an emulation device, and it can play up to PS2/GC well, which look good on that big screen. While PS Portal has no access to Android so you can't really do anything else with it.

[@sorenvalen]

well ally and steam deck dont have a ps option as well since the apps are not on linix or windows for the ally ps remote paly app it only on arndroid form waht i know

[@thatgeckoguy1666]

One thing he didn't mention is the Logitech g cloud can actually be used as a really good emulator it caps out at PS2 generation games but still it was never intended to play games internally to begin with , if you get a sd card and dajisho your set for on the go gaming compared to the PlayStation portal which has zero of those capabilities plus it can be used as standard android device meaning mobile games

[@EllieHammer2004]

Just got my Legion Go today, can't wait to finally get into the PC Handheld world

[@CoachCHuG]

Just got mine today as well. Game on!

[@dbcooper409]

Did he mention the Legion Go? I'm looking into getting that one myself

[@jgswweet]

Great video! The only thing I'd want to say is that the Steam Deck OLED has a buff when it comes to PS5 Remote Play, now that Chiaki4Deck has added HDR streaming. You can't get that on any other streaming handheld.

[@alexvilla5277]

Gaming has reached a point where you can play some pretty nice games on the go. They won’t have the same performance as high end consoles and pcs but the difference doesn’t really matter to many including myself anymore. I’ve always like handheld gaming, I can be anywhere and play my games, it’s great

[@Mrjamjams66]

3:05 "No latency or drop off in visual quality" **showcases visible latency and stuttering**

[@DaltPlaysGuitar]

The Steam Deck is the most well rounded, best way to go. Also it has track pads.

[@iLikeCh3eZe]

I've got the OG Deck, OLED Deck, and the ROG as well as many of the lesser Chinese emulators. It's pretty hard to pick a favorite of the bunch, the Ally clearly has the best performance but Windows can be very janky, and sometimes games will have issues with the embedded controller (or possibly the Ally software which has a "desktop mode" that can screw up your inputs). It also has arguably the nicest screen at 1080 120Hz VRR, games with just about any text are much clearer and easier to read than on the Decks. The OLED Deck has the best color and stays very cool, while maintaining excellent battery life. If you gravitate more towards indie titles like a survivors-type game or Hades, or pixel games like Sea of Stars this is the clear winner. It also has the most control options, with 4 mappable back buttons and 2 trackpads in addition to all the other usual controls, and is very comfortable to hold. The 90Hz screen and reduced weight and noise are all noticeable upgrades from the OG Deck, as well as what feel like better button and dpad presses. The OG Deck is probably still one of the best "bang for the buck" options out there, especially if you're going refurbished or used. The LCD panel isn't fantastic, but it's good enough, especially if you plan to throw on something like Emudeck and use it to run almost anything on a budget. The panel also won't matter if you plan to dock the unit the majority of the time. I've never had any issues needing to be near wi-fi or anything with my Decks, as I tend to only use suspend and thus stay logged in. Any time I resume and want to fire up a game it's been fine, I suppose if you shut it all the way down you might run into that issue... but why would you? If you just want to play old-school games and don't want to throw out hundreds for an Analogue Pocket, most will suggest the Miyoo Mini+ with OnionOS or the Anbernic RG35XX (or 35XX+) with GarlicOS. They are actually pocketable and great for quick waits at an office or in line, with no real frills just quick gaming. As a final note, most of these decisions can also be made by closely examining your personal use case. If the ability to suspend/resume quickly is very important, I'd go with one of the decks, as the Ally's (Windows) suspend feature sucks. Sometimes games won't suspend properly and the screen will turn off with audio never stopping, the fans continue to ramp and battery drains quickly, or resuming will leave you with a black screen and force a hard reset. If you plan to have your handheld docked to a TV for the majority of the time, the Ally wins in that regard. It gives you a full PC experience with the best performance by far, and has the ability to draw twice as much power as the Deck which won't matter when it's plugged in. If you plan to use it handheld more often and are away from a 12v car charger or wall socket, the Deck OLED will be the best experience.

[@kristopherelyea7831]

i disagree that the g cloud is a brick when you dont have wifi! ive been emulating and playing some google play store games and its really great! yes theres no AAA gaming on the go but its definitely not useless!

[@GreenSamurai2]

I have been using a steam deck for my gaming pc for almost a year. And I am loveing it.

[@B_Machine]

Been using it for my series x. Truly plays fantastic over wifi 5.

[@wintertorrent]

The steam Deck is the greatest console of all time and Valve are only just getting started

[@jacksmith8101]

Have you tried the Lenovo Legion Go?

[@freddieharrisgothambygaslight]

I just ordered one from Best Buy just to play PC games. I’m new at this hand held PC

[@vercoda9997]

My Switch OLED is awesome. So glad I got it, especially with some 14-hour flights coming up.

[@DaBigCheeso]

As much as I wanted to love the ROG Ally, there were too many things about Windows that didn't work in handheld mode as well as the Steam Deck. That suspend mode is a killer feature that you never realize how much you use until you lose almost an hour of progress on Final Fantasy VII. I'd also like to add that I use the G Cloud as well quite often, maybe more than my Steam Deck at home. The streaming is fantastic on my wifi and because it uses less battery and is much lighter than the Deck, it wins out when I want some recliner gaming time. I don't think I heard you mention the fact that it also is fantastic for emulation as it's an Android device at the end of the day.

[@dungimon1912]

Apparently changing Windows rest mode from Sleep to Hibernate makes a huge difference and fixes most of the issues.

[@TrojanGamer10]

Hey Matty! Happy holidays!

[@Garflog643]

Steam deck OLED all the way, upgraded from my original steam deck.

[@collinharsin197]

Thanks for the bid! I’ll probably wait for the rig ally refresh

[@ayounginn]

The intro to this kinda forces us to subscribe bro sorta rude how good it was idk if i should be mad at myself for not knowing anout this page earlier or mad at you for making a great video

[@RougaRouKJun]

I have a rog ally, Cons my complaints are the battery, how hot it gets, and the fan noise, having said that, i mostly play cozy games that the switch doesn't play well, Fae Farm, Story of Seasons, so its WAY overkill for what i use it for. it plays RdR2 in 60+ fps, the screen is Very high quality, now to contradict myself for the cons Having it plugged in isnt a big deal, im always by an outlet, the fan and battery greatly depend on the game your playing and Story of Seasons plays in the lowest performance mode great, fan noise cant be heard, also it was never mentioned that the rog has a 900p resolution mode that boosts performance greatly, also it is very easy to take apart and either upgrade or fix, if your analog stick goes out you can just swap it out, battery fries swap it out, its designed to be easy to open and work on

[@TheShonenRonin]

I had a steam deck, ROG Ally, I've now settled on the Lenovo Legion go. The detachable controllers make it a tablet and its larger screen puts it over the competition.

[@ThePSNnerd]

Steam Deck OLED is my favorite handheld, I have too many backlog games in my library that I realistically don't want to sit in front of a monitor for hours playing so I've been knocking them out on the deck and its been great. Just finished Arkham Asylum for the first time and working on Arkham City now.

[@abass1770]

No problem playing Asylum on the Deck? I know it’s officially listed as ‘not compatible’.

[@TDitch]

​@abass1770 doesn't work out the box, there's guides and videos on how to get it working pretty easily tho

[@ThePSNnerd]

@@abass1770 yeah look up how to get it running, it very easy you just have to download another version of proton and force compatibility, it took me a minute to figure out which one to use but i got running on proton 8-6

[@Amaneas]

Love both the sd for indies and the rog ally for AAA games. Hope this is only the beginning

[@itsdeonlol]

I love my OG Steam Deck Matty!

[@waterforgizmo3232]

My steam deck is by far my favorite console purchase of all time! Even more than my ps5

[@INVINCIBLE117X]

As someone who is in the market for a handheld this is a GREAT VIDEO thank you Matty :)

[@krnicmcro]

Hi Matty awesome video. Just a quick correction, when you said you can't "plug in your headphones" to the Portal that's not actually the case. You can't use your own Bluetooth headphones for wireless audio but you definitely can plug in your headphones via an audio jack.

[@Ray-dl5mp]

I might not buy a steam deck OLED yet as I still love my switch in handheld with split pad pro. It’s such a fun gaming experience to sit on a couch or bed and play games now. Hard to want to play other ways a lot of the time. But that’s really nice to hear how well Steam improved all the original issues with the Steam Deck. Now I just wish they came out with a more power version each year but it makes sense tech wise and sales wise why they want a gap between new models. Either way, Steam really saw a gaming opportunity here that the Switch really nailed and now it looks like the Steam Deck did too. Someone could probably get by with just these 2 devices or one of them and be a happy gamer.

[@I3urchyyy]

Thanks for this, Matty. The G Cloud isn’t something I’ve really considered to be for myself, but after your explanation of its uses here, I actually think it’s the better fit for my personal use cases than a Steam Deck would be.

[@chanpagne_supernova]

Matty thankyou for the love for the g cloud it is low key amazing

[@kongsiavang]

I bought my Rog ally z1 extreme and im in love with it. I can confirm that the battery is really bad. I just started playing Fallout 4 and the most im getting out of my Ally is 45min tops before i need to plug it in but besides that it's a great hand held gaming pc!

[@DeepStone-6]

The ROG Ally and Legion Go are so close to feeling "console like", hopefully the rumored handheld mode for Windows 12 is true!

[@Anadarksoul1701]

no switch?

[@Higgy506]

I play my steam deck in my car without an internet connection in sight every single day and it works just fine 🤷‍♂️ changing games and everything, not sure what you’re on about there.

[@IllusiveSR2]

The real question for me is: Which handheld runs BG3 Act 3 the best?

[@MetalCharlo]

Rog ally

[@ryuhayabusa3302]

Werent you taking a break?

[@obzen901]

Only one I tried is the rog ally extreme and I love it. As a hater of pc gaming due to all the updates and other jank it was a rough start but once u get used to it its a really decent option.

[@Shady0233]

Got my Gcloud recently and it’s been great! Just wanting to play my ps5 and Xbox when the tv is taken or I want to lay in bed and play. My wife and kid can have the tv while I lay on the couch and play my consoles.

[@magicthebarber1]

Cal you play C.O.D on it now??

[@devantegarbitt4359]

Great video!

[@RetroVGs]

Would like to get your input on the cheaper entry handhelds that are plenty powerful enough to handle retro games. The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is enticing, but is a steamdeck or odin2 worth the extra bones to be able to do it all?

[@barrier2616]

This video helped me realize that these modern handhelds still aren't worth it. On my switch I have over 70 non indie games installed and when it comes to gameplay many are better than what modern consoles offer and if I want graphics I have my ps5.

[@AarronS]

Awesome video. Thank you

[@Tarnished707]

Let’s stop kidding ourselves we all know the greatest gaming Handheld is the PlayStation portal….. No but really they could have pushed millions of units with an actual PlayStation handheld but instead they decided to make a streaming handheld that you use while sitting in front of your ps5

[@wintertorrent]

a proper playstation handheld in 2023 would have been a commercial disaster, that ship sailed years ago

[@SteelSpurs]

@@wintertorrentI personally disagree. Handheld gaming is on the rise and a new Vita or something similar would’ve made gangbusters imo.

[@wintertorrent]

@@SteelSpurs Handheld gaming is on the rise I agree. It's on the rise because Nintendo only have a handheld as their flagship console and Valve is thriving by letting people do almost anything they want with their console and are able to leverage the steam store which lets you play games from almost 20 years ago. What could Playstation possily offer without comprimising their PS5 plans? I don't see the Sony of today offering anything unique in this space, they're barely supporting the PS5 with innovative content let alone a new handheld console

[@SteelSpurs]

@@wintertorrent You’re not wrong about them not having innovate content… I’m just thinking with a bit of money and creativity they could be a viable contender, but we know they won’t do that unfortunately. Besides they’d probably under-market and under-hype it like the Vita.

[@Jacester1324]

It’s still gonna sell millions

[@chaosmirco]

Kinda sad you left the legion go out..

[@Synchro789]

Quick! Baked mac n cheese party in the comments while Matty is on holiday! 🎉🎄

[@kulmeetkundlas5423]

>Ultimate Handheld Gaming Review >Doesnt mention the Nintendo Switch at all Hmm…

[@ron_nor_]

Again, regarding the Playstation Portal in a coffee shop - how hard would it be to bridge the shops wifi via your Android phone? It's basically one push off a button and then the PSP can connect to your hotspot.

[@kylenyce8198]

dude, lenovo legion go is best. its not weird and janky like rog ally.

[@RichieLanderos]

I got my SD OLED in launch and I’ve loved it until recently. It’s been giving me a lot of connectivity issues with WiFi (not just mine, I’ve use it at friends houses,my work, and my hotspot) it won’t accept the password. Then after multiple restarts it works. I’ve had SD card issues. That when during the first boot, it won’t read my sd card. Once I take it out and put it in. It loads all my games from my card. It’s been happening to frequent. That I almost want to sell it and go back to the Ally that I returned after a week.

[@devonclarke3857]

I want a ROG Ally but not now I don't know if I would put it to good use but I will definitely get it down the road.

[@rossedwardmiller]

I got a used switch and a used steam deck in the same week and now I’m overwhelmed with options haha

[@BTMaverick707]

I would wait till next year for the Windows base handhelds. The battery life will be better and hopefully a more handheld friendly Windows OS.

[@abdullahzafar4401]

You missed how good battery life is on the steam deck compared to Ally (or is it ?) , I am planing to get one and from the videos I really love all the framerate, fsr and wattage tunung options in SteamOS compared to Rog Ally's plain win11

[@jimmyjay689]

Never knew about XBPlay...always wanted a way to remote play 360 games

[@Jambara]

saying the steam deck doesn't work well without a constant internet connection is just bad info, your steam account is very generous with the amount of weeks you can go in offline mode, and even then it's just a matter of getting on wifi (even just using your phone hotspot) for a few seconds to log into your account and you are good to go.

[@Philosific]

The Ally sounds promising, but your habits sounds similar to mine matter, so i think ill go with a base steam deck till the Ally update

[@Atticus118]

On the G cloud if your on the go can you download the game to the device and play it on the go? As in using game pass?

[@pvpfromnj]

Matty-thanks for you videos. I'm considering the Logitech G Cloud. I would like to hear more about how you shoot your videos! You mentioned using your phone to make your videos, I'd like to know more about that.

[@Hunteryv]

Waiting for a January sale for the steam deck OLED

[@thingsiplay]

It won't probably be on sale in January. So don't expect that.

[@Hunteryv]

@@thingsiplay just hoping lol

[@thingsiplay]

@@Hunteryv I don't know why my previous reply got deleted... KZbin *sigh* All I said was fair enough and I would hope so too. In your case, I may have waited too, its on the corner anyway. Good luck.

[@L6Jeremy]

I love my steam deck oled

[@DivjotSingh]

Sadly for India the choice is kinda made by the distributors. Only Rog ally is officially available, while one has to import Steam Deck or Legion Go, which can be quite expensive in case of warranty issues or RMAs.

[@hobolad]

ROG Ally is my favorite, but my biggest gripes with it are the battery life and the lack of a reliable suspend mode. Steam Deck is nice but the lack of multiple storefronts really limits it. And I hate how everytime it completely turns off it has to update my whole library again

[@dungimon1912]

Apparently changing Windows rest mode from Sleep to Hibernate makes a huge difference and fixes most of the issues.

[@BTMaverick707]

The wifi 6 works great on the OLED Steam Deck for streaming compared to the OG deck.

[@B_Machine]

Xbox and PlayStation should unite on the PlayStation portal and put game pass on it! Sony could even bump up the price. Xbox would get game pass subs and Sony would make hella profit. I think gamers would love it too. I know it'll probably never happen, but it would be a sweet crossover that would win people over everywhere and in a way bring our world together.

[@josephbuchanan2319]

Don’t get me wrong that would be cool, but Sony would never allow GamePass because it would cannibalize PS+. And while from a consumer perspective it sucks from a business perspective it makes sense.

[@redsky316]

Thanks for doing this its good to get a review of all in one video

[@smk581]

Got rog ally extreme for 500. I mainly wanted flexibility in gaming options. Battery life is annoying but most of the time I just plug in. Surprisingly, I've ended up using it a lot to just stream my Xbox lol

[@angeloperri1128]

Is SWTOR any decent on the steam deck? I so want to play it but I'm primarily console and dont like mouse and keyboard. Dont really have a good PC for it. I wish they would release it like ESO on console

[@bentarpey8666]

Thanks for highlighting the fact that you need the internet connection to sign in to steam account for the steam deck, I completely forgot about this. Looking for a good modern habdheld and was definitely looking at a steam deck, but not being able to easily play without an internet connection is a deal breaker.

[@datalt7873]

??? You can totally play without internet. You don't need to sign in everytime.

[@bentarpey8666]

@datalt7873 sorry, must have misheard what he said.

[@datalt7873]

@bentarpey8666 Now, maybe if you use multiple accounts and tend to sign off every now and then? I'm not sure about that since I'm the only one using the steam deck. I always bring mine to work and never had any issues offline. Usually playing Elden Ring.

[@jimmyjay689]

Galaxy Z Fold 4 + Gamesir Bluetooth...it works great😊

[@brodiz9277]

Omg thanks for info about xbox play. Now i can play blue dragon handheld on my gcloud

[@matthewhardwick8208]

The ones I didn't get were the PS Portal, G Cloud and the Lenovo Legion Go. The first 2 were because of the lack of games running natively. And the Lenovo didn't appeal to me as much as the Steam Deck or Rog Ally did. But out of these I'd probably get the Portal because it's the least expensive and using dualsense controller features on the go is a neat perk which is exclusive to that device. G cloud is too expensive for what it's built to do.

[@skylermarolla6279]

So does the stream deck allow offline gaming?

[@Gingerlion777]

My wife now has the deck! So i bought an ally, love it!! My only complaint is those god awful sticks.. 😅 they feel so loose

[@TCrimson05t]

I'm going to say it simply if you want to physically play AAA titles on your device then yeah you should probably get a steam deck but if you're open to streaming and you know a thing or two about emulation the Logitech G cloud is horrifically underrated. It is a really really good device. And because it runs Android it is extremely malleable and has a fantastic screen & battery life that would make every other handheld blush.

[@dalton111111111]

Great video steam deck for me !

[@TheDorianTube]

How is this the ultimate review on PC handheld when pretty much all the major players aren't present and one of the devices showcased is the PlayStation Portal that you can't even take outside your house?

[@continental_consumer]

Psportal is decent if you have a ps5 already, otherwise get a steam deck for only 200 more.

[@xman777b]

no love for RoboCop i guess..

[@letsgobrandon18920]

wow toy story 3, what a throwback of a game. i got it as a teen just cuz it said toy story lol it was honestly an alright game, i enjoyed roaming around as the toys in the western town that was fun

[@ruinvixi]

id mainly want a handheld so i can do casual in bed gaming like baldurs gate or skyrim, what do yall think would be the best bet for me?

[@MetalCharlo]

Steam deck

[@boltronics]

Evercade anyone? Boltgun on the Deck is cool, but what about Duke Nukem 3D on the EXP?

[@danielmikhail2701]

The G Cloud is incredible! I use it for remote play on my Xbox and I love it!

[@thanos2715]

Hopefully there will be a cheaper cloud handheld option soon

[@YouCanCallMeMich]

I have all these systems but the Legion Go just destroys them all, you have to try the screen it's amazing.

[@TheMiddleMan890]

i thought you could plug in any wired headphones to the playstation portal? not trying to defend it as i think it isn't a great product anyways, just thought it had a 3.5mm headphone jack

[@samreimann4233]

It does, I just use the wireless headset that connects to the ps5, I only use it on the couch at home so this works fine.

[@crazzy4194]

So what’s the best for someone to play at work and they have both an Xbox and ps5. I don’t want to buy something just as expensive as the console itself

[@extra4542]

The biggest reason I couldn’t go for a windows handheld is well, windows. Ended up with the steam deck OLED bc the screen is finally amazing (honestly it looks better than my non-OLED ultrawide) and having a console like UI is crucial in a gamepad setup and just makes it feel like a much more polished/optimized experience despite the lower performance. Windows is already janky enough as it is on a computer

[@Omar777i]

I got my rog ally for 599.99 at Best Buy. It’s a Z1 extreme the regular Z1 was selling for 399.99

[@giogames13]

the GPD Win 4 stole my heart

[@Nurolight]

I’m needing me some chapter markers.

[@dre04xa]

No love for Ayaneo

[@SamDeCam1]

If you set steam to start in offline mode on the steam deck then you are good to go on a plane!

[@QuentinBendele-z6b]

For the PS Portal do you have to own a PS5 or can you get to play PlayStation games without the PS5?

[@Thomas-dj4zs]

Need the ps5

[@GreenZombie]

Feel like they all have some major negatives to keep me on the sideline for something better. But things are better then they have been so thats a plus.

[@bart3736]

Is this one of the videos edited by your fiancée mentioned on duke? (Apologies, don’t want to butcher the spelling of her name out of respect. Heard it a ton of times but don’t remember the spelling)